Nevada County picayune., 1887-11-30
The Little Thing of Life.

1 W HlttI dlN iR"i'N only in themselves, but in their in- fluence upon the general develop ment of.his character. This is often
 especially noticeable in home life.
 If many a man who is regarded by the public at large as gentleman should act half as ungentlemanly outside of his home as he does ln side of it, he would be utterly de- spised. It is unaccountahlc that people should so frequently forget
 the most common ,civlltics in home life. Words are spoken to
 wife, children and husband, which
 the one who speaks them would
 no sooner utter 10 a business friend
 or social acquaintance than he or
 she would cut off the right hand.
 The effort made to please each other in the home circle is often
 even less than man makes to
 please hls horse or dog; and when
 such conduct is analysed it is not
 only found to be ungentlemanly
 but absolutely cowardly. The req
 son that an ungentlemanly man at
 home is not ungentlemanly in in-
 tercourse with the world, is be- cause he does not dare to be so
 with strangers. He is restrained by the fear of making enemies and
 thus injurng his business, or from
 the tear of getting.himself. knocked down. If some men acted in their intercourse with men as they act in their own family, they would get
 thrashed forty times a day. But they are safe in the family. There is nobody there to thrash them.- The child must bear their harsh [ words and perhaps their blows, : because it is perfectly safe to in
 dulge in them. Now it does not
 necessarily follow that man who
 is unkind to his family is really a ! bad man, or that he has the least n conception of the fact that he IS :, cowardly. He is thoughtless; but r close analysis of his conduct will s reveal state of things that will be e horrible to him.
 t In the family relation every one D should always be at his best. The Il home ought to be haven. lt r ought to be as near hcav- Q en as possible on earth. There t should be no purposely withered !: flowers about the hearthstone, and }. no purposely clouded sunbeams,- 9 Selfshness alone ought to be suffi If cient to: make home conduct ex L, emplary. Certainly all want pleas h ant home. Certainly all want 1 smiles instead of frowns. Home
 should be a continual blaze of sun. shine. But it cannot be while some !. member of the family circle is !. snaI ping and fault finding and sell II fish. Do people ever go more de n liberately at work 10 make them il selves miserable than they dc :. when they deliberately cloud the s lights of the only place on earth where they have any reason to
 expect anything like perfect quiet
 and happiness? But man who is , a man at home is a better man out side of his home. We cannot let a ourselves loose twelve hours day , and run wild, and not be more or
 less loose and wild the other twelve
 hours. We are too much creatures ' of habit for that; and though we 5 may pass for gentlemen in the world, we should be much more gentlemanly .and considerate at U the fireside. Then the influence U upon the children is matter of great importance. It is a blind
 father who does not see his coun- terpart developing in his child - :, His speech, walk, sentiments, od-
 dities, everything, are copied; and
 it is inst a perfect wonder tn at mankind is as noble as it is when . we consider the widespread
 thoughtlessneSs, to call it by no
 worse name, in our homes. The
 father and mother may be grabbed toward each other and overbear-
 ing toward the children. The old est child will be a faithful repro duction of that wretched picture.
 It will be domineering toward the
 younger children, and the exhibi- ton will go on down through the
 line until it reaches the youngest
 child, and in absence of anything
 else that it dare boss and abuse, it
 will spank the doll and kick the cot. and altooether ifs A nice lot